The Truth about “Protein” Snacks
Don’t Fall for the Hype: Things Labeled “Protein” Rich Normally Aren’t
As I am approaching giving birth to my son, I have been preparing for his birth by making snacks that are nutrient dense for labor and postpartum. One of my favorite things to snack on are “protein balls”. Typically they’re little oat and peanut butter balls that are delicious and sweet and I had never even thought to myself “is this actually a protein ball”?
Well, I got news for ya, girly- they are indeed NOT protein balls. Now this post isn’t being written to crap on protein balls or make any of us feel bad (although I definitely felt guilty). This post is to point out something else: there’s a movement in our grocery aisles right now that is misleading every American- the “protein” labels.
You’ve seen it on the shelves- “protein chips”, “protein bar”, “protein milk”, “protein shakes”. But here’s the deal- they can say that on the label because they do, in fact, have protein in them. So, technically, they’re not lying. However, this does not mean what you think it means!
In this post I am going to debunk the “protein” labels that we are seeing everywhere and am also including a recipe for “ healthier protein balls” that are actually more nutrient dense than your traditional recipe (scroll to bottom if that’s all you want to see).
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Why Protein is Being Promoted: Blood Sugar Balance
Protein is imperative for overall blood sugar balance, which in turn, leads to healthy weight. Considering that over half of our population is obese- weight loss marketing is a money maker for most companies. So, food companies are really leaning into promoting their foods as “protein” rich.
These big companies are banking on the fact that their customers won’t read the actual nutrition label (or the ingredient labels) of their products. If someone did, they’d realize that the item is most likely not protein rich at all. Therefore, these snacks are not going to promote maintaining a healthy weight or weight loss at all.
Blood sugar balance is imperative for maintaining a healthy weight. I am not going to get into how to balance your blood sugar because I have another blog post about it and also a course on how to balance blood sugar. You should check those out if you’re interested in how to safely and effectively balance your blood sugar for optimal weight management.
The Protein Label Debunked
In my opinion, a packaged snack should only be labeled “protein” if it is protein rich (AKA the protein content outweighs the carbohydrate and fat content). Let’s look at 3 items you may find in the grocery store and see if they’re really a high protein snack.
As you can see, none of these I would consider a true “protein” snack. When the public hears “protein”, they think healthy or blood sugar balancing. Using these labels are extremely misleading for these snacks/products because they are neither healthier nor more nutritionally balanced.
My “Healthier Protein Balls” Recipe
I found this protein ball recipe on Pinterest and looked at the nutritional content listed at the bottom. It has 16 grams of carbohydrates and only 5 grams of protein per ball. That is NOT a protein ball.
So, I looked for ways to at least make it a little more nutritionally balanced. I am not going to lie- it was difficult and it is by no means perfect. However, my recipe is at least more balanced than the original recipe and they actually taste very good! I hope you enjoy (I know I do)!
Here’s the clickable links of the ingredients I used!
-One Degree Organic Rolled Oats (found at Publix)
-Pascha Pure Organic Cocoa Dark Chocolate Chips (found at Publix)
-Truvani Protein Powder (found at health food store)
-Organic Peanut Butter (found at Aldi)
-Organic Ground Flaxseed (found at Walmart)
-Local Honey (found at local farmer’s market)
Just a Reminder-
The best way to maintain or achieve the healthiest weight you can is to learn how to balance your blood sugar AND read food labels. Fat/cellulite occurs because of the toxins (gross ingredients in most of the packaged food we are eating) and improper blood sugar spiking by eating too many carbs vs. protein. The blog posts below can help you with all of these things! Thanks for being here!
